25
Sep
EU regulations for nutrition and health claims for food products
Comments
The nutrition and health claims made on food according to EU regulations must be scientifically substantiated and authorised by the European Commission.
- Nutrition claims refer to any statement that refers to the nutritional value of the food, such as “high in protein” or “low fat”.
- Health claims refer to any statement that suggests a relationship between food and health, such as “helps maintain normal cholesterol levels”.
- Health claims must also be supported by scientific evidence and authorised by the European Commission. In addition, using unauthorised nutrition and health claims on food products is prohibited in the EU.
- In addition to safeguarding consumers, this encourages innovation and guarantees fair competition. Due to the fact that any food company may use the same claims on its products anywhere in the European Union, the rules ensure the free circulation of foods containing claims.
- According to Regulation EC No 1924 of 2006, food products must be safe and adequately labelled.
- The Directive 2000/13/EC forbids the use of information that would deceive the buyer or attribute medicinal qualities of food.
- The labelling must be understandable to the consumer and must not mislead them [1].